The present invention relates to a scooter for transporting people.
In the case of current scooters on the market, there are variants for children, which are sold as classic scooters and are considered a preliminary step to a bicycle. From pedagogical aspects, children practice a sense of balance, and train their leg muscles, and learn a feel for speed, steering and braking. Such products are available in various sizes which are all driven exclusively by muscle power. Owing to their small geometrical dimensions and their folding function, said scooters can be collapsed and carried along, for example in public buildings or public local transport means.
Due to the small wheel size, these scooters are not suitable for covering relatively long travel distances. The use friendliness of said products is restricted not only by the noisy running, but also by a poor performance in rolling over obstacles.
In addition, scooters with which adults can be propelled are also known. Such scooters are known, for example, from German patent utility model document DE 20 2010 003 077 U1 and from European patent document EP 2 338 773 B1. Such scooters are relatively large because of their design and are not suitable for carrying along in the car or in public buildings. Proceeding from this prior art, it is the object of the present invention to provide a scooter which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. It is a particular object of the invention to provide a scooter which is distinguished by good travel properties as regards travel comfort and travel safety, and at the same time can be folded up to a particularly low packing size.
In order to achieve this object, the invention proposes a single-track scooter for transporting individuals, comprising a front wheel and a rear wheel, arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the scooter, a fork for holding and guiding the front wheel, and a frame which is formed in three parts and comprises a fork mount, a middle part and a rear wheel mount. The fork mount can be mounted rotatably here with respect to the middle part about a first axis of rotation, and the rear wheel mount can be mounted rotatably with respect to the middle part about a second axis of rotation. Furthermore, the axes of rotation can enclose an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the scooter. By the obliquely positioned axes of rotation, the rear wheel mount with the rear wheel arranged thereon and the fork mount with the fork and front wheel arranged thereon can be folded up in such a manner that the two wheels are positioned in a space-saving manner next to each other above the middle part. As a result, particularly low dimensions can be realized in the folded-up state.
Furthermore, the axes of rotation can be oriented parallel to each other. As a result, symmetrical pivot movements of the front wheel and of the rear wheel can be realized, in which a collision of the parts movable toward one another is prevented. Furthermore, a multiplicity of identical parts can be used because of the parallel orientation of the axes of rotation.
In a departure therefrom, it is possible also for the axes of rotation not to be oriented parallel to each other. In this case, the axes of rotation enclose different acute angles with the longitudinal axis of the scooter. Each angle can lie within the range of 45° to 90°, wherein the reference values of said range specification are also included.
Furthermore, in the two embodiments, the axes of rotation can be arranged in one plane, wherein the axes of rotation both run in the same plane. This embodiment affords the advantage that the middle part of the frame can be formed particularly flat.
Furthermore, the scooter can be transferable from a state ready for use into a folded-in state and vice versa, wherein, in a folded-in state, the front wheel and the rear wheel are positioned above the middle part and a steering device is substantially arranged between the wheels. The steering device here can be formed from a handlebar which is connected to the fork via a stem. In a preferred embodiment, the handlebar is height-adjustable in order to be able to adapt the steering device to the height of different individuals. Furthermore, the handlebar or the stem can likewise be arranged foldably on the fork, as a result of which the dimensions of the scooter in the folded-up state can be additionally reduced. By positioning the steering unit between the wheels, it can be prevented in the folded-in state that the handlebar becomes caught on objects in the environment or comes into contact therewith in some other way when the collapsed scooter is being transported.
Furthermore, a locking device can be provided with which the position of the wheels is lockable in the state of the scooter ready for use and/or in the folded-in state. As a result, the rear wheel mount and the fork mount as part of the frame can be locked with one and the same locking device. The rear wheel mount and the fork mount can be locked here in the unfolded state, i.e. in the state of the scooter ready for use, and, in the collapsed state, can also be blocked by the locking device against adjustment. This affords the advantage that collapse of the scooter is prevented in the state ready for use. Analogously thereto, it is prevented that, in the folded-in state, individual elements, such as, for example, the rear wheel mount or the fork mount, unfold.
In addition, securing devices can be provided, wherein the fork mount is securable on the middle part of the frame by at least one securing device, and the rear wheel mount is securable on the middle part of the frame by at least one further securing device, when the scooter is in a state ready for use. This affords the advantage that, after release of the locking device, i.e. when the scooter is in an unfolded, but not locked state, the scooter does not drop solely because of its dead weight into an intermediate position between the collapsed state and the state ready for use. On the contrary, the scooter, although unlocked, remains in a position which corresponds to the state ready for use. By comparatively little application of force, the securing devices can be released from the securing position thereof, and the rear wheel mount and the fork mount can be folded in.
The wheels of the scooter can have a size within the range of 12″ to 20″. The wheel size has proven advantageous as regards roll-over performance and travel stability. The wheels of the scooter can furthermore be designed as spoked wheels and can be provided with pneumatic tires.
Furthermore, the scooter can have an electric drive in order to generate propulsion of the scooter. By use of the electric drive, the range of the scooter can be considerably increased in comparison to pure muscular operation.
Furthermore, the electric drive can comprise an electric motor which is preferably designed as a wheel hub motor and is integrated in the front wheel and/or the rear wheel. Additional mechanical driving elements, such as chains or gear stages, can therefore be dispensed with, thus resulting in an extremely low-maintenance scooter.
In addition or alternatively, the electric drive can comprise an energy accumulator, in particular an accumulator, a battery or a capacitive energy accumulator, wherein the energy accumulator can be arranged in the middle part of the frame. This affords the advantage that the relatively heavy energy accumulator is arranged relatively far down on the frame of the scooter, and therefore a very low center of gravity can be achieved.
In summary, the advantages of the present invention will be once again mentioned below. By using wheels which are larger than 12 inches, a good roll-over performance can be produced because of flat wheel ramp angles, as a result of which higher speeds can be achieved with simultaneously a high degree of comfort and good travel properties. This enables the scooter to be used unrestricted even on poor ground compositions. The feeling of safety for the rider is increased and at the same time the risk of accident is reduced. The scooter is intended for urban use, as an extension to motor vehicles which are known for conveying individuals. By means of the small dimensions in the collapsed state, the scooter can be particularly simply placed, for example, into the trunk of commercially available motor vehicles (passenger vehicles) or carried along on public local transport. By electrifying the scooter via the hub motor, the range can be increased or the effort of an operator for propelling purposes can be reduced. The scooter can therefore be used with motor assistance in order to cover relatively long distances and can also be operated with muscle power, in particular in regions in which motor-operated vehicles are not permitted, for example pedestrian zones, buildings, public local transport means, etc.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.